Recessed electrical boxes for retrofitting on finished walls or for use in new construction were disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,965,078 and 6,956,171 and in co-pending U.S. application Ser. Nos. 11/009,116, 11/264,857, 11/246,985, 11/185,256, and 11/102,392, all of which are commonly owned by the assignee of the present invention and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The recessed electrical boxes disclosed in the aforementioned patents and applications comprised an electrical box having an inner enclosure for housing an electrical device and an outer enclosure for recessing the inner enclosure well within a wall. The recessed electrical box including the inner enclosure and outer enclosure were either integrally formed in one piece or provided in two pieces each formed of the same material of construction.
Although a recessed electrical box of the type described in the aforementioned disclosures provided an adequate means for recessing an electrical device substantially within the wall of a structure, they did not address the needs of certain localities in which the electrical code has additional restrictions. The electrical code in certain localities, for example, requires that an electrical box be constructed of metal to ensure more positive grounding for the electrical connections therein in case of a short within the box.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a two-piece recessed electrical box that includes a metal inner box for surrounding and housing the electrical connections. An outer box portion includes a cover member for protecting the inner box, the outlet installed within the inner box, and the electrical cords while they are in use and plugged into the outlet within the inner box. The outer box portion may be constructed of metal or plastic.